Assessing Stability of a Pit Slope using Observed Correlation between Surficial Damage and Strain Level during a Planar Failure Monitored by Radar
The ability to understand various field deformation indicators during a progressively failing slope and predict the probable time of failure is essential for optimizing mine production with safe working environment. Slope failure prediction methods using deformation, velocity, acceleration, strain criteria, etc., have been in practice for the last few decades. However, these require validation through field symptoms for confidence decisions, thus making the latter (field symptoms) vital for the whole failure process. In this paper, a progressively failing slope (involving a non-day lighting plane failure mode)was investigated at an open pit mine in which growth of various surficial symptoms was measured at five locations in the field while a corresponding rise in deformation was recorded by real time monitoring by slope stability radar. The surficial damage has been characterized by field symptoms like spalling, development of face extension cracks, movement of pre-existing faults at the toe of the slope and tension cracks at the slope crest.
